Thursday, July 2, 2009

It looks like the international fraternity of security robots could soon be about to welcome a new member, as a team of researchers from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology recently announced that its "Securo" bot has passed a test that had it navigating a one kilometer long course by all by itself. That was apparently done with the aid of its built-in GPS and a laser image scanner, which allowed it to motor along at a speed of 5.4 km/h while avoiding obstacles and staying within an error range of 10 cm. That, the researchers say, could also make it suitable for delivering military supplies or performing surveillance, although there's no indication just yet as to when it might actually see service.